Thiru Gnana Sambandhar Othuvar, Sirkazhi

Presented Thevaram Verses at the historical Sambandhar praised temple in Sirkazhi for over Five Decades

Started with Rs. 18 as monthly salary in the 1950s, retired with Rs. 380 a decade ago 

"No amount of money can equal the satisfaction of having sung in front of Lord Sattanathan"- Othuvar Gnana Sambandhar

Othuvar Thiru Gnana Sambandhar, who will be touching 80 early next year, served at the Dharumapuram Aatheenam administered Thiru Gnana Sambandhar praised Sattanathan temple in Sirkazhi for over five decades in the process refusing several offers from large HR & CE temples and also from Annamalai University.

Born in Thiruvayaru in 1939, Thiru Gnana Sambandhar Othuvar, like Muthu Kandha Desikar Othuvar (http://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/09/othuvar-muthu-kandaswamy-desikar.html), too was initiated into the sacred verses by Velayutha Othuvar. After completion of his education, he spent a few months at the Thirubhuvanam temple, following which he had the privilege as a young teenager of presenting at the Sattanathan temple where Thiru Gnana Sambandar sang his first verse. And there was no looking back. For the next five decades, he was devotionally attached to this historic temple located at the birth place of Thiru Gnana Sambandar presenting the Pancha Puranam verses during the Saayi Rakshai and Artha Jaama pooja each day. He also was bestowed with the responsibility of presenting Thirumurai on special festive occasions.

Meagre Salary throughout his life

He started off with a monthly of Rs. 18 way back in the early 1950s and ended up with a meager Rs. 380 when he resigned from the post over 50 years later. In addition he was also given a bag of Paddy. 

When the famous devotional singer Sirkazhi Govindarajan was the Dean of Annamalai University, he was keen to rope in Gnana Sambandar Othuvar as a Professor at the popular music department. He would have received a starting monthly salary of Rs. 18000 from the few hundred rupees he was getting at that time, and yet he was unwilling to move away from serving the Lord at the Sirkazhi temple. Much later, at the beginning of this century, he served as a faculty at the Music School started in Sirkazhi close to the temple.

                     

Presentation Overseas

He has sung in almost all the leading Saivite temples in India and Overseas as well, in Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia. For decades, he was one of the most preferred Othuvars to participate and present the sacred verses during the Kumbabhishekam festivities in large temples such as the ones in Tiruchendur, Palani, Thiruvannamalai and Swami Malai.  

He finds it difficult to stay on feet these days, and yet gathered the devotional strength to participate and present the Thevaram verses at the Kumbhabhishekam in Pillayarpatti last year.  Another indication of his devotional commitment was when he presented the significance of the sacred verses at the All India Saiva Siddhantha Conference held in Chennai in February this year with two people carrying him up on to the stage.

Awards from 4 TN CMs

For his selfless service at the Sirkazhi temple, he has received prestigious awards from four different Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu.

His income through his five decades long service was just sufficient to take care of the family but even the financial challenges in life was not enough to lure him to more lucrative offers “The greatest happiness to me has been of having had the opportunity to present before the Lord at the ancient Sattanathan temple in Sirkazhi for over 50 years and to have been part of the renowned Dharumapuram Aatheenam for such a long period of time.  No amount of money can equal the satisfaction of singing at the same place where the great Saivite Saint Poet Thiru Gnana Sambandar sang his first song.”